U.S. patent number 5,228,692 [Application Number 07/749,131] was granted by the patent office on 1993-07-20 for gaming form.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Environmental Paper Products, Inc., Innovative Environmental Tech., Inc.. Invention is credited to Bryan W. Carrick, Stephen E. Kelleher.
United States Patent |
5,228,692 |
Carrick , et al. |
July 20, 1993 |
Gaming form
Abstract
A gaming form such as a lottery ticket or the like, and a method
for constructing the same, employ a biodegradable and recyclable
paper substrate as the base, made from recycled fibers provided
with carbon black for a high degree of opacity, and having
biodegradable binders and coating layers made from water based
coatings. The gaming form includes an opaque paper substrate which
can be partly recycled fibers in a protein based binder, and
defines the base of the form. The base, which is black, is coated
with titanium oxide layers to resemble white paper. Indicia
affecting the value of the form, for example indicia indicating
winning status, is printed on the coating and covered with a
non-concealing varnish protective layer, and by a water-based
scratch-off coating, which also is environmentally safe. Successive
layers of scratch-off coating and the inks applied to the form
generally, are water based dispersions of resins, fillers, pigments
and surfactants. A non-stick powder is applied as a last step.
Inventors: |
Carrick; Bryan W. (Gainesville,
GA), Kelleher; Stephen E. (Rumford, RI) |
Assignee: |
Innovative Environmental Tech.,
Inc. (West Greenwich, RI)
Environmental Paper Products, Inc. (Coventry, RI)
|
Family
ID: |
25012394 |
Appl.
No.: |
07/749,131 |
Filed: |
August 23, 1991 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
273/139; 283/101;
283/901; 283/903 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F
3/0665 (20130101); Y10S 283/903 (20130101); Y10S
283/901 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A63F
3/06 (20060101); A63F 003/06 () |
Field of
Search: |
;273/138R,139
;283/901,903,100-102 ;162/168.3 ;364/519 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Layno; Benjamin H.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Eckert Seasmans Cherin &
Mellott
Claims
We claim:
1. A gaming form comprising:
an opaque paperboard substrate, including paper fibers mixed with a
sufficient quantity of carbon black to render said paperboard
substrate opaque, the carbon black being dispersed throughout said
paper fibers;
a pigment coating on the substrate for concealing the carbon
black;
indicia applied to and contrasting with said substrate;
a non-concealing protective coating over said indicia; and,
a removable coating concealing said indicia;
whereby the gaming form is rendered secure without incorporating
foil.
2. The gaming form according to claim 1, wherein the opaque
paperboard substrate is made from about 80% recycled paper fibers
and about 20% virgin fibers.
3. The gaming form according to claim 1, wherein the indicia is at
least one printed character.
4. The gaming form according to claim 3, wherein said printed
character is printed with carbon black.
5. The gaming form according to claim 3, wherein said printed
character is printed with ink jet.
6. The gaming form according to claim 1, wherein the non-concealing
coating covers at least an area of the substrate including said
indicia.
7. The gaming form according to claim 1, wherein the removable
coating covers at least an area of the substrate including said
non-concealing coating.
8. The gaming form according to claim 7, said removable coating
comprising water based acrylic resins, pigments and fillers.
9. The gaming form according to claim 1, further comprising a
confusion pattern covering at least said removable coating.
10. The gaming form according to claim 1, further comprising
anti-tack material disposed on at least an area of said removable
coating.
11. The gaming form according to claim 10, wherein said anti-tack
material comprises corn starch.
12. A method for preparing a gaming form, comprising the steps
of;
forming an opaque paperboard substrate by mixing paper fibers with
a sufficient quantity of carbon black during formation of the
substrate to render said paperboard substrate opaque;
applying a pigment coating to the substrate for concealing the
carbon black and rendering the substrate similar in appearance to a
plain paperboard substrate;
printing contrasting indicia on the opaque paperboard
substrate;
applying a non-concealing protective coating to the opaque
paperboard substrate over at least that portion of the substrate
incorporating said indicia;
applying the removable coating to the opaque paperboard substrate
over at least an area of the substrate including the non-concealing
protective coating.
13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the opaque paper
substrate is produced on a Fourdrinier machine.
14. The method according to claim 12, further comprising applying a
confusion pattern.
15. The method according to claim 12, further comprising applying
anti-tack material.
16. The method according to claim 12, wherein the paper fibers
comprise about 80% recycled paper fibers and about 20% virgin
fibers, and wherein the substrate is formed on a Fourdrinier
machine.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of gaming forms such as lottery
tickets, having a scratch-off coating for concealing information
which affects the value of the forms, i.e., whether or not a
particular form is a winning entry. The form according to the
invention, e.g., a lottery ticket, promotional form or the like,
comprising an opaque paper substrate, a contrasting opaque coating
over a part of the substrate, indicia on the substrate, a
non-concealing protective coating over the indicia and a removable
coating to conceal the indicia.
2. Prior Art
In the field of gaming forms, preferably lottery tickets, it is
known to conceal indicia such as a printed number on a gaming form
by a opaque scratch off coating applied after the indicia is
printed and before the form is issued to the player. The gaming
form substrate is typically a lamination of paper stock and
metallic foil such as aluminum foil so that the substrate is opaque
and secure prior to use. The scratch-off coating is typically a
pigmented soft latex applied over a varnish release layer. The
coating is opaque for security and readily removable by scratching
the form with a coin or finger nail, so that the player can read
the information under the scratch-off coating and determine whether
or not the ticket is a winner.
The concealed indicia affects the Value of the gaming form. There
are security problems associated with prior art gaming forms,
including lottery tickets, which have a number or other printed
indicia on the gaming form substrate which is covered with a
scratch-off coating. It may be possible, for example, by one or
more techniques, to read the information printed under the
scratch-off coating without disturbing the scratch-off coating.
One technique involves shining a light or other source of radiation
at the side of the card, and attempting to discern the indicia by
observing the differences in the amount of radiation passing
through to the opposite side. Whereas the printed indicia locally
increases the opacity of the form, the indicia may be readable
through the scratch-off coating. Typically this candling technique
uses bright light at wavelengths in the visible range; however,
ultraviolet light, infrared light, or other forms of
electromagnetic radiation may also be used to reveal the
indicia.
Another technique is to electrostatically charge the form, apply a
powder to one side, and observe the pattern in which the powder
adheres to the form. Whereas the concealed printed indicia may
affect the localized charging conditions, the concealed indicia can
be revealed in the pattern of adhered powder.
A further technique involves applying alcohol or a similar solvent
to the scratch-off coating, to temporarily reduce the opacity of
the scratch-off coating. The coating is not disturbed mechanically,
and after the solvent dries the coating regains its opacity without
apparent damage to the form.
An unscrupulous person may be led to examine a stock of such forms
which are to be sold to the customers, and to extract from the
stock those that are determined to be winning tickets. Retail
lottery agents, for example, potentially could examine the stock of
the forms received from a state lottery agency, and extract the
winning tickets before they are sold to players. The tickets could
be distributed to conspirators in an attempt to defraud the lottery
and the other players.
It is known to discourage attempts to discern indicia printed under
a scratch-off coating by printing the outer surface of the
scratch-off coating with a so-called confusion pattern. The
confusion pattern can be arranged to correspond to segments of the
letters or numbers of the concealed indicia, and tends to
camouflage the indicia.
It is also known to discourage attempts to discern indicia printed
under a scratch-off coating by providing a gaming form which
comprises a lamination of paper stock and metallic foil such as
aluminum foil. Whereas the metallic foil is substantially more
opaque than the ink used to print the concealed indicia, the foil
effectively prevents reading of the indicia by shining a light or
the like through the lottery form.
The foil is electrically conductive. However, it is disposed under
the printed indicia and under the scratch-off coating. Accordingly,
the foil does not adversely affect the ability of an unscrupulous
person to charge the form, apply a powder, in an attempt to discern
the indicia by examining the uneven charge at the surfaces of the
form due to the printed indicia.
The foregoing technique is helpful for making it more difficult to
read through the scratch-off coating. The foil layer, however,
renders the forms non-recyclable and non-biodegradable. Foil
lamination is also relatively expensive, both in the cost of
materials and in the cost of production. It would be advantageous
to provide a gaming form structure which has the same advantages as
a laminated foiled card, but which is recyclable and biodegradable,
and preferably is made of recycled material.
Recycling has generated much interest in recent years in the United
States. Heightened awareness of decreasing natural resources has
led the United States to direct its attention to conservation
through recycling. It is known that paper is a readily recyclable
material. The present invention provides a gaming form that has a
base made of recyclable opaque paper, preferably comprising at
least a majority of recycled materials, but yet has the same
advantages as a laminated foil card.
Known paper making technologies that produce opaque paper stock
made from recycled fibers present problems for use in making gaming
forms. The recycled paper board industry primarily uses cylinder
paper making machines, wherein the recycled paper board is
constructed by a layering process. The layering process is
necessary to provide a paper made from chopped up and non-aligning
recycled fibers. However, a pliable recycled paper board would not
provide a gaming form with the desired opacity for security and
smoothness for applying indicia to the gaming form.
The layering process creates pliable paper that may be delaminated
and rendered less opaque than the printed indicia, thereby allowing
attempts to discern the indicia printed under the scratch-off
coating by the foregoing techniques. Furthermore, recycled paper
has a rough surface due to the non-aligned recycled fibers, which
renders it inapplicable to apply an indicia to the gaming form. A
Fourdrinier paper making machine produces high quality paper
comprising one continuous, non-pliable sheet. No lamination or
layering of the paper stock results. Thus, in a gaming form
application, it would deter or make difficult the possibility of
delaminating the paper base and rendering the form less opaque to
discern the printed indicia. It would be advantageous to provide a
non-pliable continuous opaque sheet of paper from recycled fibers
made by the Fourdrinier process.
Furthermore, non-biodegradable waste and its disposal raises
environmental concerns. Landfill disposable sites for
non-biodegradable waste are finite in number and eventually will be
exhausted. In addition, leachates of heavy metals and other
hazardous materials into the surrounding soil and water systems
through landfills presents contamination and pollution problems.
Disposal of non-biodegradable waste is also a relatively expensive
process. The present invention provides a gaming form that has a
base made of biodegradable paper and a number of coating layers
produced from water-based coatings which are environmentally
safe.
It is known to coat recyclable opaque paper made from recycled
fibers with a coating composition to render the surface smooth for
printing. The present invention further provides a contrasting
opaque coating over at least a printable portion of the gaming form
that is water-based and environmentally safe and further renders a
recyclable opaque paper gaming form comprising recycled fibers
smooth for applying indicia to the gaming form.
The scratch-off coating is typically applied in the form of a
mixture of thermoplastic rubber or latex, solvent and pigment. When
the coating is applied, the solvent evaporates quickly and the
rubber and pigment remain. A nonconcealing release coating such as
clear varnish or pigmented varnish is applied to the form before
the scratch-off coating is applied, over the indicia to be hidden.
The release coating allows the player to remove the opaque cover
coating by scratching the form with a finger nail, coin or the
like, while protecting the indicia.
Solvents in general present environmental and health dangers to
humans. The solvents can be ingested by skin contact, by inhalation
of vapors, etc. It is virtually unavoidable that workers in the
field of solvent printing processes will become exposed to the
solvents. Exposure to solvents is widely believed to increase the
risk of cancer in humans. Assuming that those involved in the
printing process avoid exposure by use of protective equipment,
there is still a problem that waste materials, residual solvents in
containers, solvents needed to clean operating apparatus, etc.,
often find their way into the environment. Over time, a facility
which regularly handles solvents and materials prepared with,
cleaned with or otherwise exposed to solvents, will accumulate
potentially dangerous levels.
Known scratch-off coatings which use a dispersion of thermoplastic
rubber and pigment in a solvent provide a rubbery consistency for
the coating, which is easily applied and readily scratched off.
Whereas solvents are undesirable components for environmental
reasons, it would be advantageous to provide a comparable coating
material with a less dangerous carrier, which would still provide
the desirable rubber consistency, opacity, and ease of application.
The coating should also dry relatively quickly, without reliance on
the high volatility of the carrier.
Industry has attempted to develop coating products in general,
including paints, inks and the like, which are carried in water
rather than solvent. However, problems are encountered in
attempting to provide a water based scratch-off ink, for example to
be used for removably concealing information on lottery tickets,
promotional forms and the like. Metallic pigments such as aluminum
particles react in water to evolve hydrogen gas, a potential
explosion problem. Water based acrylic resins also tend to form a
film, which is undesirable in a printing process and makes the
coating difficult to remove by scratching. It is difficult to
provide a water based formulation which is relatively soft and
rubbery, for easy scratch-off qualities, but is not hard or tacky
when dry or prone to build up on the printing head. For these and
other reasons, an effective water based scratch-off ink has not
heretofore been available.
It would be advantageous to solve problems of security,
environmental safety, recycling, and production of gaming forms in
a form which is inexpensive in materials and production complexity,
yet serves the other needs noted above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a gaming form from an
opaque paper substrate that provides all the benefits of known
gaming form which comprises lamination of paper and metallic foil
and is recyclable, biodegradable, and economically made.
It is another object of the invention to provide a gaming form with
a substrate made from recycled paper fibers.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a gaming form
with a water-based and environmentally safe contrasting opaque
coating composition over at least a printable portion of the gaming
form substrate.
It is another object of the invention to provide a gaming form with
an environmentally safe nonconcealing, release coating.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a gaming form
with a water-based removable scratch-off coating that provides all
the benefits of known solvent base compositions, and is
environmentally acceptable and economically made.
These and other objects are met in a gaming form, i.e., lottery
ticket or the like, and method for constructing the same employing
an opaque biodegradable and recyclable paper substrate as the base,
preferably made from recycled fibers, and a number of
environmentally safe coating layers provided from water based
coatings.
There is a need in the gaming industry, particularly in the lottery
industry, to provide an economical and environmentally acceptable
gaming form.
Applicant's invention provides an economical, environmentally
acceptable gaming form that can be made of the compositions set
forth below.
The gaming form comprises an opaque paper substrate which defines
the base of the form. The opaque paper substrate comprises paper
which is recyclable, biodegradable, and further provides the
opacity for security. Opacity for security means a opacity
sufficient so that until the scratch-off layer is removed, attempts
to discern the indicia printed under scratch-off coating are not
successful.
The gaming form further comprises a contrasting opaque coating over
at least a portion of the opaque paper substrate. This coating
provides a smooth surface for applying valued indicia on the gaming
form and a contrasting background so that the indicia can be
discerned from the opaque paper substrate. The contrasting opaque
coating comprises a water-based, environmentally safe polymer and
contrasting pigment.
In a preferred embodiment the contrasting opaque coating is coated
over both sides of the opaque paper substrate. Coating both sides
of the paper substrate aid in providing a tamper-resistant lottery
ticket. The contrasting coating is associated by the substrate and
act to orient or pull the paper fibers to form a connective system
wherein any attempt to remove the coating composition from the one
side of the lottery ticket also will remove the other side, thus
destroying the lottery ticket and printed indicia.
The gaming form further comprises indicia applied to the coated
paper substrate. The indicia provides information as to whether the
gaming form is a winner and is therefore the value information of
the form.
The gaming form further comprises a non-concealing protective
coating over the indicia. The non-concealing protective coating
provides that the indicia will not be removed on removal from the
scratch-off coating while playing. This protective coating is also
environmentally safe.
The gaming form further comprises a removable, scratch-off coating
concealing the value indicia. The scratch-off coating is opaque for
security. Furthermore, the scratch-off coating is water based and
environmentally safe.
These and other advantages of the invention will become more
readily apparent as the following detailed description of the
invention proceeds.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
There are shown in the drawings the embodiments of the invention as
presently preferred. It should be understood that the invention is
capable of embodiment in a number of specific arrangements in
accordance with the disclosure herein, and reference should be made
to the appended claims rather than discussion of exemplary
embodiments to better access the scope of the invention in which
exclusive rights are claimed. In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a plan, partially cut away view of a gaming form made in
accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2 is a side view of a gaming form shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the gaming
form shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a further alternative embodiment of the gaming form shown
in FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The present invention relates to a gaming form, preferably to a
lottery ticket, comprising an opaque paper substrate, a contrasting
opaque coating over a portion of the substrate, indicia on the
substrate, a non-concealing protective coating over the indicia,
and a removable coating to conceal the indicia. As used herein, the
term "opaque" refers to the opacity sufficient to preclude
premature viewing of the value indicia, i.e., viewing of the value
indicia prior to removal of the indicia the removable coating
placed over the value indicia. According to the invention, any
attempts to discern the value indicia printed under removable
coating and above gaming form opaque paper substrate is not
possible without at least partial destruction of the integrity of
the gaming form thereby alerting gaming officials of any tampering
with the gaming form.
The gaming form will be described with reference to the drawings,
wherein FIG. 1 is a plan, partially cut away view of a gaming form
made in accordance with the invention; FIG. 2 is a side view of a
gaming form shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a side view of an
alternative embodiment of the gaming form shown in FIG. 1; and FIG.
4 is a further alternative embodiment of the gaming form.
As shown in FIG. 1 the gaming form 10 of the present invention
comprises an opaque paper substrate 11, a contrasting opaque
coating 12 over at least a portion of the substrate 11, indicia 13
applied to said coated substrate 12, a non-concealing protective
coating 14 over said indicia; and, a removable coating 15
concealing said indicia.
The opaque paper substrate 11 may be prepared with use of known
Fourdrinier paper making methods to form a continuous, non-pliable
opaque paper substrate. The opaque paper substrate may be made from
recycled paper stock. However, for strength and binding character
of the sheet it is preferred that the opaque paper substrate be
made of a combination of recycled paper and virgin fiber. The
proportion of recycled paper to virgin fiber required for
manufacture on known Fourdrinier paper making equipment varies
widely. However, it has been found that opaque paper substrate of
optimum quality is obtained when the raw material comprises at
least about 20% to about 30%, preferably about 20% virgin fiber and
from about 70% to about 80%, preferably about 80% recycled
paper.
The desired degree of opacity is provided to the paper substrate 11
by combining carbon black with the slurry of virgin fiber and
recycled paper during the Fourdrinier paper making process.
Sufficient carbon black should be added to the slurry of virgin
fiber and recycled paper to render the paper produced in the
Fourdrinier process sufficiently opaque to preclude premature
viewing of the value indicia which will be placed on gaming forms
made from the opaque paper. Generally, carbon black will be added
to the slurry of raw material in an amount of from about 0.1% to
about 0.2%, preferably about 0.1%, by so)ids weight based on the
solids weight of the slurry.
The carbon black preferably is non-conductive so as to further
enhance the security properties of the paper. The use of
non-conductive carbon black further allows printing on the opaque
paper substrate by electro-photography printing methods. Carbon
black does degrade. Thus, incorporation of carbon black in the
paper substrate 11 lends degradable characteristics to the gaming
form of this invention.
The gaming form 10 further comprises a contrasting opaque coating
12 over at least a portion of the opaque paper substrate 11. The
contrasting opaque coating 12 may be made from water-based and
environmentally safe coatings made of a combination of polymers,
fillers, and pigments. Accordingly, it is preferred that the
contrasting opaque coating be made of polyvinyl based polymer
resins or natural amino acid based polymer resins. It has been
found that contrasting opaque coating of optimum quality is
obtained when the raw material comprises approximately 34% filler,
15% resins and 48% water. The contrasting opaque coating 12 is
applied over at least a portion of said opaque paper substrate 11
by known coating technologies. Accordingly, it is preferred that
the contrasting opaque coating is applied to said opaque paper
substrate by an air knife coater. The contrasting opaque coating 12
provides a smooth surface and thus printable for the indicia that
determines whether or not the gaming form is a winner. The
contrasting opaque coating 12 further provides a contrasting
background so that the indicia can be discerned from the opaque
paper substrate.
In a preferred embodiment as shown in FIG. 3 is a gaming form 10
wherein the contrasting opaque coating 12 is applied over both
sides of the opaque paper substrate 11. The contrasting opaque
coating 12 on both sides of the opaque paper substrate 11 orients
or pulls the paper fibers to form a connective system, wherein any
attempt to remove the contrasting coating from the one side of the
lottery ticket also will remove the other side, thus destroying the
lottery ticket and the indicia 13. Therefore, the contrasting
opaque coating 12 is prepared for security of rheological
properties to wet out the opaque paper substrate 10 and flow into
the pores of said paper substrate. The amount of penetration is
defined by the viscosity of said coating and the porosity of said
paper substrate. The degree of opacity is provided to the
contrasting opaque coating 12 by pigments, such as titanium
dioxide, to contrast the opaque paper substrate 11 and the indicia
13.
In an alternative embodiment as shown in FIG. 4 is a gaming form 10
lacking a contrasting opaque coating 12. The indicia 13 is
sufficiently contrasting from the opaque paper substrate 11 to be
discernable and render a contrasting opaque coating 12
unnecessary.
The gaming form 10 further comprises indicia 13 applied to said
coated substrate. The indicia 13 is typically a number, letter,
symbol, or a combination of the three or the like which indicates
whether or not the gaming form is a winner or not. The indicia 13
is preferably applied by known printing methods.
The gaming form 10 further comprises a non-concealing protective
coating 14 over said indicia 13. Accordingly, it is preferred that
the said non-concealing protective coating 14 is applied at least
to the area of the form which bears the indicia 13. This provides
that the indicia 13 will not be removed on removal from the
removable, scratch-off coating while playing. Thus the
non-concealing protective coating 14 allows the scratch-off coating
to be released cleanly. Accordingly, it is preferred that the
non-concealing protective coating 14 is environmentally safe.
The non-concealing protective coating 14 is made from an
environmentally safe acrylic polymer. The non-concealing protective
coating is further sufficiently transparent to allow a player to
view the indicia 13 after removing the removable coating, to
determine if the ticket is a winner. The non-concealing protective
coating is applied by known printing methods.
The gaming form 10 further comprises that removable coating 15
concealing said indicia 13. Accordingly, it is preferred that this
removable coating is made from water-based and environmentally safe
acrylic resins, fillers, and pigments. Applicant herein
incorporates by reference a removable coating composition set forth
in Patent Application S/N not yet known assigned to GTECH INC.
entitled, WATER BASED SCRATCH-OFF INK FOR GAMING FORMS. The
removable coating 15 preferred includes conductive materials as to
prevent attempts to discern the indicia under the scratch-off,
removable coating by electrostatically charging the gaming form.
The removable coating is applied by known printing methods.
In an alternative embodiment as shown in FIG. 4, the gaming form 10
further comprises a confusion pattern 16 printed over said
removable coating 15. The confusion pattern 16 is provided to
prevent attempts to discern the indicia under the scratch-off
coating.
In another alternative embodiment of the gaming form 10, it further
comprises anti-tack materials 17 over said biodegradable gaming
forms to prevent tack when forms are packaged on top of each other.
It is preferred that the anti-tack material is corn starch.
The foregoing disclosure of the preferred ingredients is intended
to be illustrative rather then limiting. Reference should be made
to the appended claims rather than the foregoing specification in
order to assess the scope of the invention in which exclusive
rights are claimed.
* * * * *